


Slave 334556

by WhyYesIamBlonde



Series: Slavery Universe [19]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Clint Needs a Hug, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Medical Inaccuracies, Whipping, Whump!Clint, amnesty international, true evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-04 15:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyYesIamBlonde/pseuds/WhyYesIamBlonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint accidentally kills a man. The aftermath changes his life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You have the right to remain silent.

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing of law. Just ignore my mistakes.

Zack wrapped the scarf tighter around his head. He sped up to catch up to Clint and Agent “Call me Karen” Lawrence. Shopping for Christmas gifts was always a pain and getting lost in New York was not going to help him any. His world spun as his feet flew up and his view went from the crowd to clouds. He must have screamed because Clint and Karen were hovering over him. 

Laughing, Clint held out his hand and helped Zack up. He stood there for a moment rubbing the back of his left leg. “Stupid ice.” This just caused Clint to let out a laugh and hold his friends side as they walked a few feet to get out of the slippery section of the sidewalk.

The three were about to continue on their journey when they heard a shout. Clint turned in time to see a lady continue to yell at the man that was running down the street with her purse. The hero didn’t even think, he stuck out his arm as the thief ran by and caught his neck. Hawkeye shoved him down onto the sidewalk, the ice helped to slip the man's feet out from under him. He landed with a crack as the back of his skull connected with the concrete. 

Another lady nearby yelled, “Oh my God! You killed him!”

The world sped up and slowed down at the same time. Clint stood there staring at the man as the area around his head slowly turned to red. The blood seemed to take it’s time covering the ground inch by inch. The people on the other hand seemed to fly by him. Some walked back to give him space while others sped on by to clear the area before the police showed. Most though, they created a large circle around the men, their phones at the ready to record everything.

The sirens soon could be heard. Clint shook his head to clear it for a second. Agent Lawrence was on the phone with SHIELD urging the person on the other end to hurry. The police cars ground to a halt and four armed men came out yelling.

“Look, Zack. Just follow my lead,” Clint said as he kneeled down a bit away from the blood and placed his hands on the ground in front of him within easy sight. 

The police slowly walked up with their pistols drawn. “Keep your hands where we can see them!” They shouted as one of them tentatively walked over and handcuffed the slaves. “Oh, shit! This one’s a permie.” The officer shouted as he stared at Clint's bar code. Another one came over with more chains and demanded Clint stand. He got up easily without the use of his hands. Then the new officer shackled Clint's ankles putting a chain up to connect to the ones on his wrists. 

Then the officer read the two slaves their full list of rights, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do may be used against you and your owner in a court of law. Your owner has the right to contact an attorney. If he or she cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to him or her if and when you go to court. If you chose to answer any questions without your owner present you have the right to stop answering at any time. You do not have the right to a phone call, we will contact your owner for you. Are there any questions?”

Neither man had anything to say. They were dragged to the squad car and shoved inside. There were SHIELD cars in the area but the police were making a legal arrest and this crime wasn’t in SHIELD’s jurisdiction. Their hands were tied.

 

XXX

JARVIS turned off all music and videos in the tower. Before anyone could complain they heard a news report:

This just in, we just got news that one of the Avengers, Clinton Barton, the hero known as Hawkeye, was just arrested on suspicion of murder. During an alleged purse snatching event Derrick Spencer received severe trauma to the back of his head killing him instantly. Police were soon on the scene. Witnesses reported that Hawkeye gave himself up to police without incident. They are trying to contact his owner...

The report droned on but failed to offer any further information. 

XXX

Coulson was brushing his teeth. It had been another eventful day and he was fighting to keep his eyes open. All he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and ignore the outside world for a few hours. The beeping from his phone startled him. He groaned, knowing that sleep was now probably another hour away at best. He grabbed the phone and answered it with his mouth still full of toothpaste. He listened to the man on the other end of the line for a minute before he fully understood what was going on. 

Running out of his room, a bit a foam still in the corner of his mouth, he ran to the cockpit and slammed the door open. “How fast can you get us to New York?”

XXX

The two slaves spent the night in lock up. The area set aside for slaves was clean and large enough to accommodate everyone inside at least. The other three men in the room tried to intimidate the newbies but Clint just had to sit and stare at them for a few minutes for them to get a hint. Neither he nor Zack were bothered during their stay. 

The next day Coulson showed up with Stark and one of his lawyers. It took just a few minutes to convince the police to release Zack into his guardians care. He was an innocent bystander and should not have been taken in by police in the first place. Clint on the other hand was a bit tougher. The lawyer tried everything he could and Stark even tried to bribe the cops (That did not go over well. He is paying his fine and doing his community service like a good little citizen). Full charges were being pressed.

XXX

The media are all over the courthouse. Every inch that they are allowed was covered. The trial took a few weeks. Agent Barton steps into the courtroom everyday wearing one of his three suits. Gone were the sunglasses and shaggy hair. He was as cleaned up as possible. His lawyer spoke of his service to the city along with the number of lives that he has saved over the years. The apposing team spoke of Derrick Spenser’s orphaned son and the damage that Clint has done over the years. Both mentioned the Avengers but while Barton’s legal team talked about how the man had put himself in harms way countless times to keep from hurting a civilian, the other lawyers talked about how too much force was used and how everyone must follow the law, even over hyped superheroes with delusions of grandeur. (objected, sustained). After all, he was a slave for a reason. He has already shown a disregard for human life. How many others will he hurt in the future?

The jury took several hours to deliberate. They came back and sat down. The entire courtroom was quiet. Houses all throughout the country were stilled as the foreman read the verdict: guilty of voluntary manslaughter. For the repeat crime, slave number 334556 will be stripped of the name Clinton Francis Barton. He will be reprimanded to the State of New York and receive fifty lashes for his crime before being resold. Phillip J. Coulson lost all of his rights to slave 334556. He will not be compensated for his loss and is barred from purchasing this slave in the future. 

Phil sat in shock as Clint was shackled and walked out of the courtroom.


	2. Your own personal Avenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> getting prepped for sale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments.

Clint was pulled and pushed along even though he was too numb to fight. The police van that he was tossed into was windowless and locked from the outside. It was completely dark inside. He found himself sliding around as the vehicle drove around turns. When they reached the slavehouse the bright light from the door opening blinded the slave for a moment.

“Come along 334556. We haven’t got all day.” 

Clint was unable to get himself out of the van without help. His arms and legs were shackled and he didn’t have the reach to push himself up enough. They took him into the building and processed him. They made him stand and answer a lot of questions about his health, history and recent sexual activity. Then they took him to a shower room and hosed him down. They made sure he was clean inside and out before taking him to a large room. There were cots set up in rows. Almost each one had someone sitting or laying on it with chains like Clints. They took him to an empty cot and attached his chains to a metal loop on the floor. He was able to sit a bit slumped over or lay down in the fetal position but he didn’t have enough room to get comfortable. They told him to behave and then left. 

Clint looked around. A good portion of the people in the room were looking at the wall in shock. He was sure that most of them were new to the system and were terrified of their future. He had to admit to being a bit scared himself. Was he going to be sold into manual labor? Was he going to be someone's fucktoy? Were one of his friends going to come to his rescue and purchase him? Maybe Tony? Clint was overwhelmed with exhaustion as the toll of the day hit him. He fell to sleep praying to God, Thor or anyone else who could hear him that Tony would buy him and he would be back with Phil by the end of the week.

XXX

“Of course I’m going to buy him,” Tony said to Phil at the conference table. The Avengers had assembled to discuss the best way of getting their sniper back. “Do you truly think I would let him leave the nest? He would probably start molting or something.”

Phil looked up at Tony with gratitude. 

XXX

Miss Gainey stood at the front of the room. She was wearing a very severe black pant suit. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she was tapping one of her four inch heels on the small platform she was standing on. “Okay everyone,” she yelled. “You are all about to have your pictures taken. You will behave or we will taze you. This is your only warning. Your auction is not scheduled until the end of next week. You will not be allowed exercise time. You will not be allowed contact with anyone outside of this building. You will eat what we give you and use the rest room when we take you. No questions.”

She stepped down and returned to her office. Three very large men were standing to the side. They walked up to the first cot and unlatched the slave. They dragged her out of the room. They returned a little under an hour later and grabbed the next slave. They didn’t get to Clint the first day but he was taken very early the next. 

The room they took him to was full of clothes. He was unchained and told to strip. He only glanced at the tazers aimed his way before he took off the orange coveralls that he was given the day before. There was a very young lady in the room who looked him over for a second before walked over to a pile of jeans and threw a pair at him. He put them on and then looked at her. “You going to give me a shirt?”

She looked back at him and stared at his abs. “Nope.”

“Look lady, just give me a shirt.” Clint growled. One of his guards came forward and grabbed his arms. The Avenger resisted being pulled toward the photography studio. He was handcuffed and pushed until he was in the center of the room. 

XXX

“Holy Shit!” Tony exclaimed as he was clicking through the database for the upcoming slave auction.

Coulson ran over to see what was happening. Every slave had a page created to try to sell them at the highest possible price. There on the screen was Clint's advert. He was standing in front of a white background wearing nothing but tight low cut jeans. His arms were behind his back. He looked like he was trying to burn a hole in the camera with his hate. 

The rest of the page didn't look any better:

Your own personal Avenger!  
Slave 334556 needs no introduction. You've seen him on the television fighting aliens and Doombots. Be the highest bidder and you can see what he is truly capable of. This circus raised hero has proven time and time again that he is the best marksman on earth. He wasn't just taught to shot, they also made sure that he served in the back tent and has been completely trained in the art of love. The highest bidder will have the opportunity to see exactly how far his talents lie.

SLAVE: 334556  
Height: 6'3”  
Weight: 230 lbs  
Eyes: Grey  
Hair: Blond  
Race: Caucasian  
Age: 32

Due to the seriousness of this individual's past the winning bid will be put through a serious background check before being accepted.


	3. punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of slave 334556's punishment is to receive 50 lashes. But they have to be careful not to hurt the merchandise too much.

The day after the last picture was taken Miss Gainey came back into the room. The slaves had been talking amongst themselves, some crying, but they all quieted down when she stepped onto the platform.

“I have a list of punishments that need to be meted out before the auction. Now we only have a few days so your cooperation is expected. The warning has not changed. If you fight, you will be tazed and the punishment will still go through.”

Three of the guards each went to a different bunk. There was an middle aged lady who shook in fear as she was unlocked from the floor and dragged out of the room. A young man set his lips in a determined line as he went and Barton did his best to show a complete lack of fear. They were dragged down a long hallway and brought to a room with six poles set in a line a few feet away from each other. 

The slaves were told to strip. The jumpers came off with no fight leaving them completely naked. Each one was tied with their hands over their heads to a different pole. The lady’s sobs increased. Clint turned his head to see his guard taking a whip off of a hook and flexing it. At least it wasn't barbed, thought the assassin as he steeled himself for what was to come.

“Eileen Cunningham,” one of the guards said loudly in a bored monotone, “for the murder of Miss Smith you will receive twenty lashes. Ten today and ten tomorrow. Charles Lang, for the murder of Mr. Zimmerman you will receive twenty lashes. Ten today and ten tomorrow. Slave 334556, for the continuing disregard for human life including the murder of Derrick Spenser you will receive fifty lashes. Ten today, ten tomorrow and ten every day until the punishment is complete.”

“One,” the guard said as he and the others gave the first strikes. Charles and Clint grunted as the pain whipped across their backsides, Eileen just screamed. The strikes came over and over. They stung and it took Clint a lot of self control to keep from making any noise but the torturers knew their craft. They used the thin pieces of leather to cause the most amount of pain with the least amount of damage. The slave’s backs were red and bruised but only the last hit actually broke the skin. 

When the slaves were removed from the poles they were placed on cots and a nurse looked over the wounds. No one needed stitches but she did put a bandage on each cut. The jumpers were then put on and the shackles reattached. They were led out to their cots and rechained to the floor. Eileen and Charles each called out when their backs hit the mattresses. Clint just grunted and groaned. He was not looking forward to four more days of this.

XXX

Clint was brought in on the fifth day of his punishment and dropped back onto his cot as he chains were reattached to the floor. He groaned as he rolled onto his side to relieve the pressure from his back.

“Psst,” the slave in the next cot said. They had been there for seven days but Clint had yet to talk to anyone. This was the first time someone was trying to get his attention.

“What,” groaned the slave as his back gave him another strong twinge of pain.

“You’ve been a slave for a while now, huh?” The young man looked at Clint with large brown eyes. 

“You could say that,” came the reply.

“Have you... have you ever been to one of these auctions? What are they like? What’s going to happen to us?” The voice was shakey as it asked the questions.

“Look, man. I can honestly say that I have never been to an auction. I know from talking to others that they are scarier to think about than to experience. We’ll just be paraded onto a stage, chained to a post and have someone talk about how amazingly wonderful we are at this and that. Before the bidding starts, the guards may encourage you to open your mouth and show people your teeth or answer a question or two. It’s really nothing to be scared of. It’s more embarrassing than anything.” Clint tried to calm the young man down. The other slaves in the area were listening in. The hero could only imagine the horror stories that they had heard in the rumor mill for those who couldn’t afford a slave but wanted to know what the auction house was like. The least he could do was try to calm their fears. Especially since they were unfounded. True, it was not an experience that he was looking forward to but at least he knew from talking to others that it was painless. 

“How long have you been in the system?” a young woman asked.

“Me? I’d say since I was ten,” Clint replied.

“And you've never been auctioned?”

“Is everyone here new?” Clint asked.

“Nope,” said a raspy voice from the other side of the room. “This is my second auction. What this man here says is true. Stupid thing is more humiliating than anything.”

“Why are you here?” someone asked.

“My owner defaulted on a loan. I’m here to pay it back. Personally, I’m just glad to be changing jobs. Construction is back breaking work and I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Clint strained a bit to be able to see the man. He looked like he was in his late forties but his back was definitely bent and his face was aged from the sun. The chatter continued for a little bit until it eventually subsided. Clint decided to try to sleep through the worst of the pain. He had six days to heal before the auction and wanted to be well rested in case anything happened between now and then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who reminded me that he was also getting 50 lashes. I completely forgot. 
> 
> If you commit three major crimes you become a slave. If you murder you become a slave and get 20 lashes. The lashes go up if you murder again. Eileen killed her husband's mistress. Charles killed his business partner. They each got the minimum punishment. Barton's record is much longer so he was given the maximum sentence.


	4. The Auction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is auctioned to the highest bidder.

It was the day of the auction. Pepper had already made sure that Tony had a bank account with over $3 million dollars in it. Clint’s price shouldn’t even reach half that but neither of them wanted to take any chances. There was no way that their friend was going to be sold to Hydra or HammerTech.

Tony was picking up his authorization to enter the auctionhouse from his office (And wow did that cost him a pretty penny) when his phone went off. It was the Avenger alert. He didn’t even bother answering it. Anyone who was involved with the emergency knew exactly what he was doing today and how important it was. The whole city didn’t matter if one of his best friends was lost. 

Happy met him in the lobby and walked him and Pepper to the car. They were going to be very early but Tony didn’t want to risk the traffic. It was actually a nice day. There was the occasional boom from whatever the others were fighting and the Hulk could be heard roaring from miles away. 

The building used to be a warehouse. It was converted to hold the slaves on one side and have the auction on the other. The part that Tony and Pepper entered was very opulent. There was hardwood floors, cherry furniture and velvet drapes. 

Tony and Pepper carried the champagne that they were handed but only pretended to drink it. They had decided earlier that paranoia would serve them well today. The place was unusually crowded. Tony sighed when he scanned the crowd. He recognized some of the richer people in the audience. Clint was definitely going to be going for far more than he should. 

“Tony, Tony, Tony...” 

Ah, fuck. Thought the genius. Who the hell let him out of jail. Has it really been ten years already? “Justin, what a pleasure this fails to be.”

“Ah, Tony, you kidder you. What are you doing here? I’m just here to pick up a little present for my father.” 

Tony broke the stem of his glass. He didn’t even notice until Pepper said his name. He quickly handed the broken glass that he was still holding to a nearby waiter and pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket to wrap his hand in until the bleeding stopped. It was a small cut so it didn’t take very long. Then he took a deep breath and walked away from Justin Hammer only to walk right into General Ross.

“So you're going to buy back your friend are you?” The General said while squinting at Stark.

“Well, you know, after I got Bruce I figured I might as well own the full set.”

“You are a diplorable human being, you know that?” Said Ross as he bit into his cigar.

“Well, I’m not the one trying to explain to Congress how my projects went so severely over budget.” Tony said before Pepper grabbed him and they excused themselves from the General's presence.

_Attention, the auction is going to start in five minutes if everyone could please take their seats._

Everyone started to move to the auditorium. Pepper and Stark moved with the crowd and were almost in the room when they each felt stings along their necks. They fell back into the men that were behind them who caught them easily and moved them to a side room. The crowd that saw them disappear did nothing to help them. Later the police would question everyone and they would all claim to have seen nothing. Whether they were actually ignorant of the event or hopeful that it would help them acquire the archer for themselves no one would ever know.

XXX

One by one the slaves were taken out of the room. Clint could hear the sound of the auction. The bent old man only went for ten thousand dollars. A beautiful young woman went for eighty thousand. The room steadily became emptier until Clint was the only one left. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. The guard came and unhooked him from the floor. He was taken through a door he had never gone through before. He found himself in a room with the young lady from the photoshoot. She had him put the tight jeans back on. She oiled his chest and arms, brushed his hair and had him brush his teeth. When she was happy with the result he was taken and placed in a cage until his turn came up. 

“...going once, going twice, sold for $610,000 to Oscorp.” Clint could hear the auctioneer finish with the mechanical engineer that had been sleeping three cots away. “And now for the final piece!”

The guard opened the cage and motioned for Clint to follow. He had his shackles removed but the tazers stayed in plain sight. He was taken up onto the stage and made to stand on a slowly rotating circle of floor. There were two posts there about waste high that each of his arms were chained to. He held himself straight and looked into the crowd. Tony or Pepper had to be there. Maybe Fury himself would buy him back? He hated to think that SHIELD would just let him go with all of the secrets he knew. When he rotated so that he could no longer see the crowd he started to pay attention to what the auctioneer was saying.

“... Yes one of the mighty Avengers, deemed the best marksman on the planet. This hero...”

Yeah, some hero. Up here as a whore for the highest price. Fuck. Where was the team? Wouldn't just one of them show? Sitwell! There was Sitwell. But he looked like he was sleeping. What the fuck! 

The bidding started. Oh look, Osborn himself is bidding. Please don’t let General Ross win. Oh, what's that guy’s name? The one from Blackwater. No no no, don't let Hammer's son get him. Okay, the bidding is slowing down. Who are these people?

“Two million three hundred going once, Two million Three hundred going twice, Sold to Mr. Axel.”

The crowd actually erupted into conversation. Clint just stood there numb. His friends never showed for him. He was sold to a complete stranger. What would his future entail?


	5. New owner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does Mr. Axel want with Clint and who does he work for?

Clint found himself in the waiting room in another cage. After almost everyone else had been collected he was still waiting. Finally he was approached by a tall man sporting one of those suits that Tony would feel comfortable wearing. His black hair was brushed back into a pony tail and he took his sunglasses off to show brown eyes with a startling lack of wrinkles considering he looked to be over 50. 

“Come along,” He said as he unlocked the cage. Two of the guards were behind him holding their tazers. Clint didn’t need told twice. He took a few steps out of the cage. Mr. Axel placed a heavy shock collar around his neck and padlocked a chain to it. He jerked the chain to motion for Clint to follow.

They walked down the hallway but instead of exiting the building they turned into one of the rooms. Miss Gainey was sitting behind a rather large desk. “Ah, Mr. Axel, how good it is to see you again.”

The tall man sat down on a chair pulled down on the chain. Clint got the hint and kneeled down at his feet. “Miss Gainey, it is truly a pleasure. Thank you for the chance to purchase such a fine specimen.” He petted the assassins hair. Clint tried to flinch away but then his hair was pulled to keep him in place. “And as per our agreement,” he took a folder out of his suit jacket and slid it onto her desk. She took it and took a peek inside.

“Thank you again for your patronage. Please let me know if there is anything we can do for you in the future.” She stood up as Mr. Axel stood up and walked him to the door. Clint hurried to follow before his chain was yanked again.

They walked down the hallway to the back doors. A limo was waiting for them. Mr. Axel kissed Miss Gainey on the hand and then got into the limo, pulling Clint in after him. The Avenger was made to kneel with his head on the floor. His owner decided to put his feet up and use him as a footrest for the ride home.

When they arrived at their destination he kicked Clint to get him out of the limo. When he went to kick a second time, the assassin grabbed his foot and twisted. The shock hit his neck for only a few seconds but it was enough to make him let go of the foot and grunt with the pain. Mr. Axel showed Clint the remote as he put it back into his jacket pocket. Clint lowered his eyes and let himself be kicked. 

The slave kept up with Mr. Alex but the taller man still found reasons to yank on the chain. They walked into a mansion with a very modern motif. The floors were hardwood, the walls were covered in abstract art. There were a few other slaves to be seen cleaning. 

Clint was taken to the East wing of the building. There was a room with a lot of computer equipment and a steel chair welding to the floor. Oh, yeah, this was just a bit shy of terrifying. The Avenger was made to sit. Another slave came over and tied down his hands and feet. 

“Can you at least tell me what you are doing?” Clint said nervously as the slave started to shave his head. 

“You have been a pain in our side for a while now,” Mr. Axel said.

“”Who are you? Hydra? AIM?”

“No, but we did need to team up with them to acquire you. They are each looking forward to having their turn with you.” The man actually chuckled a bit.

“Who the fuck are you?” Clint swore as the slave nicked his head for the hundredth time.

“We are Fulcrum,” He said said with a smile. “Your lover was quite a thorn in my side. He took away the intercept just when we were about to gain full control. Now all we have is you.” 

A few more people came in wearing yellow hospital scrubs. Mr. Axel laughed while he left. The sound of a drill could be heard. One of the doctors said, “This may sting a little bit.”

A wire harness was placed over Clint and his head was locked into place. The metal pressed painfully against his head. The drill could be heard again as a piercing pain went through the back of Clint's skull. He was screaming during the second hole and passed out while they were drilling the third. 

XXX

Clint awoke with a screaming migraine. He was still in the chair but the wire harness was gone. The doctors (where they actually doctors?) were still milling about him. He wasn’t bleeding anymore but they were doing something to his head. They were speaking in Latin. One of the few languages he did not know. After a little bit more poking and prodding his wrists and ankles were freed. One of the doctors snapped his fingers in front of Clint's face. 

“You. Stand up.”

Clint stayed sitting. His head was killing him and he was in no mood to play any of their games. The man just snickered a second and barked a command. Suddenly Clint’s ears started ringing. The sound slowly increased until the former agent stood up. Once he obeyed, the noise stopped instantly.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” he screamed. Clint’s hand came up to his head. He felt bandages just above his ears and the middle of the back of his skull. 

“It is simple,” the doctor said with a Japanese accent. “You obey us and you get to keep your hearing and sight. You disobey and we take those away.”

“My what?” Clint yelled.

“Now please go to the room across the hall.”

“I ain’t going anywhere you...” Clint's ears started to ring again and this time his vision got cloudy. The longer he waited the worst both became. When all he saw was a field of white he decided to obey. The second he made up his mind his vision came back. When he started to walk his hearing returned to normal. 

Across the hallway was a range. At the end of it, instead of targets there were puppies. “What the fuck!” This day was just getting worse.

Mr. Axel came into the room. He was carrying a bow and full quiver. He handed these to the archer and instructed him to kill the animals. When Clint refused the blindness and ringing returned. This time the assassin used the techniques that helped him withstand torture in the past. He tried to disassociate himself from his body but every time he started to drift a sharp pain in the middle of his brain returned him to full consciousness. 

The ringing was getting louder. His ears had to be bleeding, they hurt so much. He’s felt worse pain. This wasn’t like getting shot. His eyes only saw intense white. The light seemed to get brighter and brighter. No amount of shading would remove the pure white. He teared up in response to the over-stimulation. 

After a while Clint figured that he had maxed out the sensations. The room stopped getting brighter and the ringing stopped getting louder but that did not alleviate the pain. He wanted quiet and dark. He would not kill some puppies just to fulfill some sick man's fantasies about controlling an Avenger. Fuck, this hurt.

The center of his brain started to burn. It started as a small warmth and slowly increased. Now the slave was screaming out with the pain. He couldn’t take it. He needed it to stop.

His sight returned as he picked himself and his bow off the floor. His hearing returned in time to hear the first puppy yelp. The burning continued until each arrow hit it’s target. Once the task was complete, all pain vanished. 

Clint was panted from the exertion. He leaned over and placed his hands on his knees. “What did you do to me?”

“Why, just made sure that you knew whose orders to obey from now on,” Mr. Axel smiled down on his new toy.

Clint lunged for the man with his bare hands. Mr. Axel let him knock him down. While he was trying to chock his new owner the burning returned. This time it increased quickly and the assassin screamed as he let go of the man's neck to grab at his head. The burning slowly decreased until it was gone completely. Clint looked up as Mr. Axel loomed above him.

"Oh, and to keep from harming us we added a little twist to your programming. Welcome to Fulcrum Agent 334556."

XXX

“Where is he?” Tony yelled at his screen. He had been looking for his friend for three weeks now. No one knew where he went. When SHIELD tried to hunt down the winner of the auction they discovered that Mr. Axel didn’t exist. Miss Gainey was taken into custody but released once she told them everything she knew. He had blackmailed her into letting him into the auction without a background check but he had won it fairly and paid for it with a dummy corporation. 

Coulson and Bruce were in the lab trying to help Tony. Well, Coulson was pacing back and forth feeling useless. All of his contacts came up empty and SHIELD didn’t know where to look next. Bruce was shifting through the police records that Tony just happened to obtain looking for something that might be related.

Natasha has disappeared. Everyone assumed it was to check up on her contacts. 

Steve was currently destroying punching bags to try to work off his worry. It wasn’t working.

Bruce suddenly stood up. Everyone stopped and stared at him. He shook his head and pointed to the screen. It was a police report of a recent murder. The CEO of a major drug company was killed in his penthouse. The only point of entry that wouldn’t have set off a large number of alarms was by scaling the outside of the building. The man had been found by his daughter who claims to have seen someone wearing purple run out to the balcony and shoot an arrow with a repelling line onto the building across the alley and jump. 

The report went on to list the lack of fingerprints and other clues at the crime scene. The Avengers didn’t need to read the bottom line to know that Hawkeye was their number one suspect. 

“We’ll get him back,” Tony said to Phil. “I don’t know why he is doing this but I promise that we will get him back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the puppies. If you want you can pretend they were stuffed. (Clint cried later when he thought of this day). I couldn't think of anything eviler. 
> 
> Sorry to leave it like this but I will be out of town for a few days. There should be an update by the end of next week. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!


	6. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Phil both get information that will help them later.

When he wasn’t working, Clint was kept in a ten by ten room. Along one wall was a twin bed with rather comfortable covers. Along another wall was a set of weights. There was a closet with a few outfits and his uniform. There was also a full bathroom attached. There were no windows. The archer spent his time exercising and trying to come up with a plan of escape. Whenever he thought he was coming close to an idea his head started to burn. 

He was only allowed out of his room during meal times. His door had an electric lock that clicked open along with the rest of the rooms in the corridor. He counted seven other slaves with the telltale scarring above the ears and in the back of the head. Their hair was all kept short and they were told that they had to stay shaved. They all wore basic black sweat pants and white t-shirts. No one wore shoes. They would receive them after being told their missions. They had to turn in the footwear upon their return.

The end of the corridor led them to a dinning room with a long cherry wood table. It was covered in a lace table clothe and a candelabra sat in the middle. There were always fresh flowers decorating the little side tables against the walls. The food was usually prepared by a chef. They ate everything from lobster to sushi. 

Talking was not allowed during meals. The men could all look at each other and try to convey information via hand signals but it turns out that only Clint and one other guy knew Morris code. Between the tapping the agents figured out that Mr. Axel was a mercenary who used his slaves to handle the illegal jobs. They also figured out that this pseudo name that he chose for himself was not the one he used day to day. There was no way his friends would have stayed away if they knew where he was. 

The other man was called Jeff Masters and he was an expert in bomb disposal. Now bomb making. So far, their illustrious owner had showed Jeff that every one of his bombs went off in empty cars or boats. Probably to keep the man from blowing himself up with the product he was working on. Clint wished that he could say the same. He had killed three people that didn’t deserve it as far as he knew. It was like being a teenager again: take the hit to stop the pain. At least for a short while. 

After dinner a bell would sound and that would be their clue to get back to their rooms. The locks automatically set themselves when the door was pulled closed behind them. 

Alone in his room, Clint hung his head. His skull had healed enough that the migraines had stopped. His neck was now callused enough to support the heavy collar without blisters. But his hands, they shook. 

XXX

Phil watched the end of the bus open. As he drove Lola into her slot he sighed. He needed to work. It's been over two months without word of his partner. Skye met him as he exited his car. She didn’t say anything. Just gave him a big hug and let him continue into the plain. He had loads of paperwork to catch up on and needed to get started. Maybe if he continued to do his job, he would find meaning to his life again.

He walked into his office and actually dropped his coffee. He was looking at his desk, his chair but he wasn’t the one sitting in it. The man in his seat leaned onto his desk and smiled, “Hello, son.”

Colonel Casey stepped out of the shadows, “Hi, Phil.”

“Need help finding Chuck again?” Coulson asked his brother.

“Nope, Fulcrum got their hands on a new assassin and we think you need ours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter to give some hope. Clint's life isn't all whump.


	7. mission brief and Krakens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We have another job for you, Slave 334556. Follow me.”

It had been over a week without a target. Clint was thumping his hands on the wall. He almost had the beat down to the song that had been in his head since his last outing. He didn’t even know the name of it but it was driving him crazy.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Mr. Axel stepped into the room with this shoes, bow and quiver. “We have another job for you, Slave 334556. Follow me.”

He was given time to change into his black uniform that he was given for missions and taken to a room down the hall. This room was built like a conference room except that there were cuffs attached to the chair that Clint was told to sit in and a machine was kept nearby. After Clint was latched there was a man in a yellow lab coat hooking some wires up to his head. He turned the machine on and looked at the monitor.

He hated this part. Fuck that was loud. And the burning was getting old. Very old. Just fucking ow. And now for the loss of sight. This was the part he hated the most. He would rather they burned his brain some more. Once the machine ran it's diagnostic and decided that the chips were working Mr. School Bus Yellow Lab Coat left. 

“You have been doing an excellent job these last few months. Now we think we need to test our new system a little bit further. Test to see how far the pain buys your loyalty.”

Clint glared at the man as the man pulled up schematics of the newly minted Potts Tower. It was the new home of Stark Industries’ medical division located in Dallas. There was going to be a Gala in honor of the new cancer drug that was just approved by the FDA. The money raised was going to insure that those who could not afford the drug had access. Clint wondered if Tony and Pepper were going to be there. 

Senator Howard was going to be there. Clint's target. He was never told why he needed to take them out. Just that this was going to be the most unguarded she was going to be for a long time. Someone had tipped her off about a possible assassination attempt and she smartly updated her security to counteract it. Clint had practice working with Stark security and had worked with Tony to close most of the holes but he knew of a couple that probably still existed.

Yeah, this mission was possible but it was going to be dangerous. Clint estimated the chance of getting caught to be about fifty-fifty. He didn’t tell Mr. Axel this though. He was a bit surprised that his brain didn’t burn. It seems that he couldn’t blatantly disobey his new owner but passive aggressive worked just fine. Clint filed this away for further study later.

He listened to the mission briefing that was extremely short on actual information. Basically, take his bow, infiltrate the tower. Kill the senator. Try to get away. Yeah. Walk in the park. Oh, and he wasn’t allowed to talk. If caught, he had to stay silent until he could get away. If he could get away, then he was going to call and get his pickup information at that time. Fun.

XXX

Gwen and Heidi were watching the news. The Avengers had just saved Miami from an actual to goodness Kraken. But try as they might, they couldn’t see their favorite hero. They went up to their daddy. “Where’s Hawkeye?”

“Honey,” he said to his little girls, “Hawkeye got into some trouble and was sold.”

“He’s a slave? But he saved your life!” The eight year old Gwen said.

“Yes, yes he did. But that doesn’t change the fact that he did bad things in his past.”

“But that’s just wrong,” screamed six year old Heidi as she stomped her foot.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” Her father asked her.

Both girls thought for a very long time. “Can we write to Santa for help?”

“You know girls, I bet he might.” Ian said thoughtfully as his little girls ran for their paper and pencils.


	8. At Potts Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gala at Potts Tower does not go as planned.

Steve was sipping his drink while listening to a lady talk about her latest trip to help Doctor's without Borders. Though he approved of all the hard work she did, he still found himself daydreaming. This party was turning out to be like most of the others. He just had to hang on, smile and nod for about two more hours and then he and Tony will be free to go to their after-party which usually consisted of a local bar that Tony enjoys, enough food to fill even Thor and it used to include Karaoke but that was Clint's favorite so they have been avoiding those bars lately. 

Finally he was able to excuse himself politely to walk over to Tony. He accepting the drink that his friend always seemed to have ready for him. The speeches were about to begin. Tony was ready with his usual talk about how great it was that so many people showed in support blah blah blah. He really hated doing this. The philanthropist was walking toward the podium when something made him turn his head. For the rest of his life he will never know exactly what made him move but as he turned, he saw a curtain flutter in an alcove. A flash of light off of metal hurried his steps. 

“Look out!” Tony yelled as he ran towards the alcove. The people in the crowd looked around confused. 

Steve had no clue what was going on but he trusted his teammate, “Get everyone out!”

At the captain's command, the people in the building started to panic and run towards the exits. Luckily there were plenty of well marked doors so no one was trampled. Tony continued to run and now Steve was with him, pushing through people who were trying to move the other way.

XXX

Clint had found a perfect place to hide. The alcoves were covered in curtains for the Gala to hide the drink and snack machines that normally reside there. He hid behind one of the Coke machines when security did their sweep before the party. If he ever got back home, he was going to have to talk to Tony about training his guards a little better. 

The music was beautiful. The string quartet was almost haunting. After weeks of almost pure quiet in his room, Clint just wanted to stay the night and let the notes flow over him. A slight ringing started in his ears. Sigh, the job came first.

When he finished putting his bow together the ringing stopped. He separated the curtain a little bit to look for his target. There she was, standing close to the podium. Oh, Tony was heading that way. That increased his chance of getting caught up to seventy percent. Could he be so lucky?

Clint knocked an arrow and was about to let it go when Tony gave a shout. Another familiar voice could be heard above the crowd and the people panicked. Clint lost his target amongst the flurry. Knowing that he had no hope of finishing the job he grabbed his stuff and started to run. The ringing started again. It was faint but it was there. There was nothing he could do but get out and try to contact Mr. Axel before his vision went fuzzy.

He only took two steps out of the alcove before he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

XXX

Steve saw a man running out of the alcove that Tony was pointing to at the beginning of the chaos. He grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. The man spun around and punched Steve in the jaw. It was a good hit. It actually moved his head back and caused the super soldier to lose his grip. Steve automatically dropped and swung his leg around, tripping the man. He fell to the floor with a yell. Steve jumped up expecting a further fight but the man on the floor just grabbed his head.

“Clint!” Steve just realized who he was fighting. “What...?”

The assassin looked up at his friend. Pain was etched across his face. 

XXX

“Sarah, take a look at this,” one of the workers at Amnesty International called to his boss.

“What is it, Mike?” She asked as she came over to his desk.

“I just got this letter in the mail addressed to Santa.”

“Santa?”

“Yeah, I opened it out of curiosity. It’s from two little girls who want him to free Hawkeye.”

“The Avenger?”

“Yep. There is also a letter from their dad. He’s right you know.”

“About what?”

“This is right up our ally.”

“Mike, we’ve had this conversation before. We are doing everything to stop slavery. Especially in our own country. So far our efforts have been in vain.”

“So we change focus. Would it be possible to start freeing them one at a time?”

Sarah sighed. “There are just too many.”

“So we help who we can. We start with him and continue until the permanent list is empty.”

“Look, I’ll put you on the project. If you can get enough people to write, we may be able to free him like we helped Captain Rogers.”

“Thank, you won't regret this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaeh! Hope!


	9. In the hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can they take Clint's pain away without other consequences?

Phil Coulson ran into Potts Tower and waited impatiently for the elevator and for his companions to join him. Finally everyone was in and they were going up. Phil tried talking to JARVIS but he was obviously not installed in the elevator. Getting to the hundredth and fourth floor took forever. 

When the doors opened, he darted out and ran to the nurses station. She didn’t even bother asking him any questions. Just pointed down a hallway. Phil collided with the door as it was being opened from inside. Steve quickly got out of his way so that he could run to his lover's bedside.

Clint was in an induced coma. Even then the pain could be seen upon his features. There were ice bags placed around his head and torso but sweat still dripped from his brow. 

“We can’t bring down his temperature,” Steve said as he moved to sit next to Phil. “The doctor's have no idea what they put into his head. We're waiting for the x-ray results.”

“Will... will they be able to help him?” Phil looked up at his friend.

“We won’t know for a while,” Steve said before he bowed his head over his clasped hands. 

Agent Kay walked into the room. He walked to the other side of Clint and took his chin in his hands. He moved him back and forth to get a good look at the scars on the slave’s still-shaved head. “This looks like Endurion mind control.”

“What?” Steve and Phil exclaimed at the same time.

“It’s a set of three chips placed in the brain that control hearing, sight and temperature. They discovered that humans are extremely perceptable to it’s use late in the 1980s. They almost got complete control of the New York Stock Exchange in 1988. I thought we got rid of the last of those things. It’s one of the few things whose use means automatic life in prison if caught. For the Endurion’s that can be quite a long time.”

“How do we stop it?” Phil asked trying to keep his voice steady.

“We need to remove the chips,” Kay said.

“And is that safe?” Steve asked as he looked down at his suffering friend.

“Only if the right person performs the operation. I’ll be right back,” Kay said as he left the room to look for the doctor.

XXX

“Are we sure this is okay?” Phil asked his father. They were in the viewing room of the operation theater. Below him his lover was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They looked normal except that every now and then one of them would use a third or even fourth hand. They worked for hours. Finally the last stitches were sewn into place and he was taken to recovery.

XXX

The pounding was matching the beat of the beeping in his ears. Clint couldn’t keep the grimace from his face. He slowly opened his eyes expecting to be back in his little windowless room. He jumped slightly at seeing a medical room full of his friends. They were all moving about excitedly but there were no noises coming out of their mouths. There were no noises at all.

“Um, guys...” Clint tried to say but he couldn’t hear his own voice. He looked up in alarm. The others couldn’t figure out what he was scared of. They tried to talk him into calming down until he continued, “I can’t hear you!”

The others froze. Phil grabbed for Clint's hand. He looked up at his father and said something. Clint could actually feel the vibrations from how loud his lover was yelling. The others joined the argument, or at least it seemed that way to Clint. Finally, someone had found a pad of paper and handed it to Phil. 

_Can you hear anything at all?_

Clint shook his head. There wasn't even a faint ringing.

_Kay said that it could be a side effect of removing the mind control. It was planted pretty deep in the part of the brain that controls hearing. The doctors don’t have any idea if it will improve or not._

Clint took a deep breath and glared at the wall for a few seconds. He knew that they had also attached something to the part of his brain that gave him sight and there seemed to be nothing wrong with his eyes. He could still see the dust up in the doorframe and the writing on the tablet across the room. Okay, thank Thor for small miracles. If he had to chose which he lost, he would have chosen his hearing anyways. 

Crap. This was just... Crap.

“What is to become of me?” Clint had no idea if he was speaking too loudly or quietly. At least he was able to be understood.

_We don’t know but we are not letting you go back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Tony's lawyers are on Clint's case by the time of this story.


	10. Letters and Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A letter to congress and Mr. Axel wants his property back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter to keep the ball rolling.

Dear Congressman,

I am not normally an abolitionist. I understand the importance of slaves in our economy and how their use had drastically reduced the number of both major and petty crimes in our cities. However, there is one person that doesn’t deserve the title of slave. He has saved countless lives, he has proven to be a true patriot of these United States again and again. Yet he is being punished for stopping a thief. Yes, he accidentally killed the man but the punishment does not fit the crime. Me and my friends and family have signed the petition below to free Hawkeye. Please don’t continue to allow a hero go punished like a common criminal.

Thank you for your time.

“Lucy, how many letters have we gotten like this?” Congressman Daniel Braddock asked one of his interns. 

“Hundreds, and that’s just today,” she answered.

“Great,” huffed the important man. He didn’t have time for this. “Get Congressman Fitzgerald on the phone, I think we have to take a deeper look into this.”

XXX

Mr. Axel walked into Potts Tower surrounded by men in very expensive suits and two police officers. They headed straight to the receptionist. “I need to speak with Mr. Stark. I believe he has something that is mine.”

The receptionist called up to Mr. Stark who responded by showing up with his lawyers. 

“Mr. Stark, you have something that belongs to me.” Mr. Axel said to the billionaire. “I want it back.”

“No,” Tony said glaring at the man.

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark but we have a warrant to search the tower for Slave 334556.” Officer Jones looked like he would rather be doing any other job on the planet.

“Oh, he’s here, I’m just saying that this torturer is not going to get him!” Stark said. “I have proof of extreme harm to a slave breaking about three laws under the Slave Protection Act of 2012. Any one of which would automatically rescind your ownership of Clint and any other slaves you have in your possession.”

“Let me see this evidence,” The older policeman, Officer Crawley, said as he held out his hand.

“He is mine,” Mr. Axel said. “I can do with him what I please.”

“Almost,” said the officer as he perused through a file that had copies of Clint’s medical records along with a confession of what he was forced to do under his owner’s command. “As for this, I need to take it and the slave in question down to the precinct. I’ll need time to sort this all out.”

XXX

Clint was deemed well enough and put in the back of the police car. Phil sighed as he watched his love get pulled away from him yet again. Later when he called to check up on the investigation, he discovered that the car never made it to the police station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can just see this modern day epic fight. Instead of swords and axes, they have lawyers with papers and books. The two stand off (whistling sound as the wind rushes through the room billowing their perfectly styled hair and suit coats) surrounded by smart well dressed people. A line is drawn in the hardwood. Which man is going to flinch and who will press charges first?


	11. Where is Clint?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What actually happens to Clint?

The car pulled up to a red light. Clint squirmed trying to get comfortable in the plastic seat with his hands cuffed behind him. He still couldn't hear anything the officers were saying in the front seat. Officer Crawley Leaned back and closed the window that was dividing the front and the back seats. “Wha?” Clint started to say as a mist filled his enclosed area. The next thing he knew, he passed out.

XXX

Clint woke up back at his old room in the mansion. He still didn’t know where this building was located as there were no windows and he was always taken places in a windowless van. He lifted his hands up to his neck and felt the shock collar. Crap. At least he had no headache and after a quick feel could tell that there were no new cuts into his skull. 

Nothing had changed in the room. There was still exercise equipment, clothes and bathroom access. The door was still locked and no amount of throwing himself at it would open it. There was nothing to do but wait.

XXX

“What do you mean he didn’t arrive?” Phil was yelling into the phone. The Avengers looked up from their various places in the living room at the exclamation. “Put Officer Crawley on the phone right now!... You don’t have an Officer Crawley?”

Phil dropped the phone in shock. How stupid were they. They just assumed that the police officers were real. They just assumed that things would be taken care of. They just assumed so much.

Tony looked up at his friend frowning, “Avengers, assemble.”

XXX

The president was meeting behind closed doors with a rather large group of Congressman and Senators. 

“Gentleman and Ladies, we cannot get in the habit of just letting go of slaves because a few peoples' signatures.”

“But Mr. President, it's not just a few signatures. It’s not just a petition to reinstate the 13th Amendment. It's a serious group of our constituents who are debating on continuing to vote for us in a few months. The upcoming election could be swayed by this single slave’s freedom.” Congressman Braddock had only held onto his office for one term and was desperate to continue to keep it. 

“But to grant him a pardon would open the doors for a lot of difficulties in the future. Where does it stop? If you are famous you can’t be a slave because your fans would send letters?” The President rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“We are not just talking about someone who was famous and then enslaved,” Congresswoman Peebles said. “This is the matter of a slave having no reason to save his country, risking his life again and again, to keep civilians safe.”

“But that was his job,” Senator Parsons stated. “He was bought to fight.”

“But did he have to fight so hard?” Braddock asked. “Did he have to fling himself off of buildings or jump in the way of bullets and knives?”

“So, he doesn’t get pardoned because of these letters but because he is an American Hero.” Everyone could see the President thinking. “Yeah, I think we can do this.”

XXX

The Avengers had been meeting for hours. They were back to square one. No one knew where Clint had been taken and no one had any idea how to track him down. JARVIS had followed the police car via various cameras used throughout the city until it left the county limits. All they knew was that the car went north. 

“Excuse me Gentlemen and Lady,” JARVIS interrupted. “The President is currently giving an address that you may be interested in.”

“Okay, Jarv, put it on the big screen,” Tony said as the windows automatically darkened and the one in the middle came to life with a picture of the president at a podium already talking.

“...Barton can now consider himself a free man. I am happy... no, proud, to pardon such a hero. He saved us from the Chitauri when they attacked not just our city but our planet. He has saved us from ourselves when one or more of us went astray and starting thinking of power. Any attack within New York City or throughout our fine country, he was there, putting his life on the line to save ours...”

The talk droned on for quite a long time afterwards. The Avengers quickly got the point and then muted the television. Clint was pardoned. He was a free man. Well, he was supposed to be a free man. None of them had the feeling that Mr. Axel or whatever his real name was would let him go just because he was no longer legally a slave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! Clint is no longer a slave. Now he is just kidnapped.


	12. Change in ownership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint was bought by a group of people, now it is AIM's turn to play.

Clint lay there looking at the ceiling. He was surprised at the lack of headaches. Especially since he recently underwent major brain surgery. He wished he had a ball to throw against the wall. He was still weak from his ordeal. Weak and hungry.

Enough time went by that Clint knew that at least one meal had passed but his door was never opened. Then at least another meal. The hunger pains grew as the hours passed. Not for the first time did Clint wish for his hearing back. The light didn’t change, the temperature didn’t change. Finally he fell asleep but when he woke up everything was the same as the day before. Well, his hair was a bit greasier and the hunger pains were starting to dull but that was the only difference. He drank from the sink’s spicket and took a shower. It passed some time. 

After what he could only guess had been three days the door finally opened. The men that stepped in were all wearing the black uniforms and collars that Clint had been issued his first day here. They also held the telltale scars upon their heads. Yeah, it didn’t matter if the slave had no energy to fight. They had no choice but to make sure that whatever they had been ordered happens.

He got up and stood as straight as he was able. He pointed to his ears and shook his head when it appeared that one of them was talking. Then he motioned for the men to lead the way.

Down two corridors and up a set of stairs Clint found himself in a sitting room. There were three men including Mr. Axel sitting around in jeans and sweaters. They were each smoking cigars and laughing at a joke one of them just finished. Clint was a bit surprised. He could swear that he heard them laughing. Not clearly but there was definitely noise there. 

The man to Axel’s right was wearing a bright yellow sweater. He started to talk. Clint just pointed to his ears and shook his head. One of his guards cuffed him on the back of his head. That seemed to bring another round of laughter to the men in the chairs. The man who spoke earlier seemed to bark an order. Clint felt his arms being pulled apart and held by two men while a third punched his sides and back. 

When they let go he collapsed and huddled into himself. They let him stay in the fetal position for a few minutes. Clint could hear a faint rattling sound. A large crate was wheeled into the room on a trolley. He was picked up and dropped into the crate. He could feel more than hear the banging noise as he was nailed into the box. There were no holes exactly but some of the slates were far enough apart that he could see through them. 

Clint sat up and peered into the room through one of the openings. The men were talking and laughing while the guards set themselves in front of the windows and on either side of the crate. The assassin tried to break free. No amount of pushing or slamming himself into the sides loosened the slats. Actually, it seemed that the more he tried, the more the men in the room pointed and laughed. 

After a while Clint fell back onto the floor of the crate. His chest was heaving from the exertion and the sweat down his back was making him itch. It was one of those horrible things that he couldn’t reach. He was one of the most limber people he knew and still couldn’t reach the itch. Damn it. Clint started to rub his back onto the slats on the floor. He groaned in frustration.

Finally the archer laid down as best as he could. The crate gave him room enough to rest as long as he kept his knees bent. He couldn’t make out the passage of time. It seemed an extremely long while before he felt the trolley he was on being moved. The wheels grinded and groaned as it carried the weight of the crate and Clint throughout the house. 

He was wheeled out of the house into a small truck at a loading bay. They closed the door making it completely dark inside of the truck. He occasionally pinched himself to keep himself awake. After a while, he could feel the vibrations and movement of the vehicle. He tried to follow the twists and turns but there were too many. He eventually gave up. It was clear that they had already left New York State and was probably another state away by then depending on what direction they went.

XXX

After many hours the truck stopped. Clint was really hoping that they were going to let him out of the crate. He didn’t want to dirty it but the pressure in his bladder was starting to get to him. 

The door slid open and two very large men came over and dragged the crate to the edge of the truck. They pushed it and it slid out and fell a few feet. The wood splintered and broke on impact. Clint found himself upside down with a huge bruise on his back and a sore head. The men jumped down and grabbed the archer’s arms before he could move. They dragged him out of the shattered crate and into what looked like a hospital. 

Was it a hospital? Yep, there was a sign for Western Psychiatric Hospital. Where was this? 

He was taken to the elevator. There people walking around but instead of the usual lab coats he expected, they all wore yellow uniforms. The thugs each held onto an arm strong enough that even his bones may be bruised from the treatment. That didn’t keep him from struggling. It just kept him from getting anywhere. He tried kicking out their shins but they completely ignored the kicks. No matter how he moved, Clint just couldn’t seem to hurt them.

At the fourth floor they walked down the hallway and Clint was dragged into a room while he yelled and kicked. He should be able to take these men. He’s fought bigger. He was just so hungry and thirsty and yep, he peed himself. Damn it! 

The thugs looked at him with disdain before they threw him onto a bed and locked his arms into cuffs that had been set up beforehand. They stripped him of his clothes, cutting into his shirt so that they could remove it without uncuffing him. The whole time Clint was asking them what they wanted from him and making up colorful things that their mother probably did in her free time. The muscle bound men didn’t even twitch. They finished their job, throwing the clothes into a bin marked biological waste, and left. The least they could have done was leave the tv on.

It didn’t take long before one of the yellow clad people walked into the room. Her name tag showed that she was Dr. Sudhu. Her olive skin and black hair screamed India but the freckled cheeks made him think she was not pure blooded Indian. She opened her mouth but Clint had no idea what she was saying.

“I can’t hear,” Clint said in what he hoped was a normal voice. “Now get me the fuck out of here.”

She frowned and shook her head. She scribbled on a tablet for a minute and then showed it to Clint.

_Slave 334556, you are here to help us with a new procedure. If all goes well, you will be better off then before you lost your hearing. You need to cooperate for it to work._

“What do you want from me,” Clint said glaring back at her. He was done being a lab monkey for these yellow freaks. Who were they anyways? 

_We are Advanced Idea Mechanics and we helped procure you. It is our turn to use you._ Clint didn’t even know that he had spoken that last part out loud. He really wanted his hearing back. Wait, weren’t these the guys who messed up Pepper? 

_You will stay put until the procedure. Do not fight and you may get your hearing back._

Clint frowned. Stark’s doctors had said that his hearing may come back on it's own but that he would probably be partially deaf for the rest of his life. They said that there was no cure for what happened since they had to cut out part of his brain to get the chips out. If there was some experimental procedure he really did not want to be a part of it. He shook his head and said no but she just shrugged and left the room. 

A few minutes later a very large lady wearing green surgical gear walked into the room. Her skin was the darkest he had ever seen but her cheeks had a very bright red glow to them. She seemed to like to smile. She chatted at him even though he told her that he couldn’t hear. She didn’t seem to need an audience to talk. 

The locks on the bed's wheels were pushed off and she took him down the hall into an operating room. The thugs were there, they held onto Clint as she unlocked the cuffs. He was quickly moved to the operating table and his arms and legs were put into manacles that had been welded to the table beforehand. The last thing she did was put a plastic gas mask over his face and smile as his world became dark. 


	13. Sounds and happy endings?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team get a lead on Clint.

Finally! Coulson brushed back his thinning hair and took a deep breath. Mr. Axel made a mistake and let the fake cop live. SHIELD picked him up after their facial recognition program pointed him out in a crowd on the subway. Natasha took a lot of pleasure in subduing the target and bringing him in without alerting the surrounding passengers of the abduction.

Agent Coulson walked out of the interrogation room wiping his hands with a red handkerchief. He looked at Captain Rogers with an evil smile. “We got the address. Everyone ready?”

“We can be in the air in twenty minutes,” Rogers replied.

“Good,” Coulson stormed down the hallway ignoring the younger agents who lept out of his way.

XXX

The attack was simple: SHIELD agents surrounded the house while the Avengers knocked down the front door and stormed into the mansion. It was an hour north of the city, surrounded by a rather thick forest. The front foyer had a double set of staircases winding their way up to the second and then third floor. Long hallways went to the left and right. The Avengers split up with Captain America taking the elevator down.

When Rogers left the elevator he was two floors down. Something in his gut told him to go right. He found himself in a dining room with four men sitting down eating. They were each wearing grey sweat pants, a white t-shirt and nothing else. Their hair was shaved and they each held the tale-tell scars. When Steve walked into the room they all looked up but they didn’t move. Except one man started to tap on the table. Steve had no problem understanding the Mores Code.

_You here for 334556_

“33... Clint! Yes, you know where he is?” Steve exclaimed.

_Haven’t seen him in a week but there was a bit of noise in the hallway two days ago._

“Thank you.” Steve said as he moved down the hallway. He checked every room. When a bell was heard he saw the men walking back to their rooms. “Hey, you guys. Want to get out of here?”

The men all looked at him with longing. The tallest of the men nodded yes then shrugged and started to walk to his room. When Steve grabbed his shoulder to turn him around he grabbed his head. When Steve let go he let go of his head and continued to his room.

“Crap,” Steve swore. They couldn’t follow. They had the same brain washing that Clint had. He had to get them to a hospital. He paged the other Avengers. “Hey guys, I found four more slaves but they can’t leave.”

The others also mentioned finding men with the scars and inability to talk. They searched the building but could not find Clint. Iron Man did manage to capture Mr. Axel. He was running away and actually managed to evade the SHIELD agents through a tunnel but Ironman found him driving a Porsche along back roads.

The Avengers left the various slaves to the agents to handle. They took Mr. Axel back to the Helicarrier to have a little discussion with him.

XXX

Coulson walked calmly into the room. The man sitting at the table had been left there to stew for three hours while they gathered every bit of intel they could on the guy. The agent sat down and smiled calmly.

“Mr. Axel, or should I say George James Dubach. Says here you were arrested multiple times for petty theft. What brings you to the head of a terroristic organization?” Coulson flipped through the police reports that the fingerprints brought up.

“Ah,” continued Coulson. “Says here that your uncle preceded you. Didn’t know the lead was an inherited position. Lucky for you because it seems that you are one of the most incompetent thieves we have seen in a while.”

“If I’m so incompetent, how come I’ve avoided being even on your radar for so many years?” Mr. Axel nee Dubach sneered at the agent. “I have legal use of my slaves. What I do of them is no concern of yours. Now let me go.”

“Your use of the slave would have been fine if it was legal but using them for illegal tasks simply makes them instruments of yours in committing felonies. With their help I bet I can put you away for enough lifetimes that even an Asguardian would find it difficult to serve.”

The man stared at his interrogator and refused to say anything else until his lawyer was present.

“Oh, you are under the impression that you are going to get one. You see, SHIELD is not necessarily only a United States organization and we are currently passing into international waters. Yes, your trial will be proceeded over by Director Fury. It should be over pretty quick.”

“You can’t do that to me!” the man screamed. “I’m a United States Citizen. I have rights!"

“Which you forfeited when you decided that you were above the law and supplied terrorists with assassins. Now I suggest you cooperate and tell us what you did with Clint Barton.”

“Who?”

Coulson sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Slave 334556. What did you do with him?”

“Never heard of him. I’m afraid he was never in my possession.” The man smirked.

Coulson looked up and smiled. “Oh, I was hoping you would say that.”

XXX

Phil left the interrogation room a bit out of breathe. He wiped a bit of blood off of his cheek as he met with the Avengers. “Clint was handed over to AIM yesterday afternoon. It turns out that they went into a partnership in purchasing him and it was their turn.”

“Where did they take him?” Captain Rogers asked grimly.

“To Western Medical Hospital. It turns out that the facility is a front for their human experimentation.”

“Cripes,” Bruce said breathing steadily. His eyes were getting a green ring around them. “How long until we can get there?”

“We have two hours so get ready,” Natasha said as she finished talking to Fury on the coms.

XXX

Clint woke up slowly. He could hear a steady beeping from his heart monitor. He could hear the mumbling of people down the hall. He could hear the air conditioner circulate the air in the room. He could hear!

He opened his eyes and noticed that he was alone. He took off the various monitors and drips from his chest and arms. Then he stumbled into the bathroom. The painkillers were still in his system and he was having some trouble with his fine motor skills. He finally got to the mirror. There were no scars around his ears. Even the ones that were there a day ago were gone. So was the little wedge that was cut out during a torture session a few years ago. His left ear was no longer pierced. What was going on?

__His left hand reached up and touched his ear. He felt nothing. His fingers told him that the ear was there but the ear did not register his hand. His ear felt stiff and though it looked real, he could tell it was unnatural. He poked his head. There was about an inch circling his ear that was a mixture of plastic and metal instead of bone and skin. He found himself breathing heavily as he realized that it was the same way on the other side of his head. There was no seam that told his eyes where the plastic ended and the skin began. How did they manage that? Did this make him less human? He could hear but at what price?_ _

__“Oh, 334556! You’re awake. Good good,” one of the men in yellow lab coats walked into the room “How is your hearing?”_ _

__“What did you do to me?” Clint growled while walking toward the man._ _

__Mr. Labcoat just smiled and pressed a button on a little white box that he had in his hand. Three very large men entered the room._ _

__“Now please sit back in bed, 334556, or I may have to ask for help from our orderlies.” Clint heard him say. The Avenger took one look at the muscle in front of him and acquiesced. As he laid down in the bed, one of the orderlies hooked him back up to the monitors. He also took a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and attached Clint to one of the bed rails._ _

__“What did you do to me?” Clint asked again._ _

__“We simply gave you back your hearing,” the man smiled._ _

__“Why?”_ _

__“I wish I could say it was just to help you but we really had no choice if you are going to be any use to us.” The smile was starting to irritate Clint. He wanted to reach over and punch it off his face._ _

__“And what use am I?” Clint asked warily._ _

__“Ah, the heart of the matter. You see, a lot of my colleagues are still angry with you for killing and capturing so many of us three years ago. They thought that you should be killed in as painful a way as possible.” Clint's eyes went wide at this news. He was on the op that freed the intercept from AIM's hands. Was that what they were talking about? “But I knew that you had greater uses than petty revenge. It’s not really you that we want to hurt anyways. It’s your previous owner that needs to suffer. And you are perfect for that job.”_ _

__Clint lept towards the man. Only the handcuffs kept him from reaching his prey. The orderlies grabbed the hysterical man and brought him back to the bed, placing cuffs on his other arm and ankles to keep him laying down._ _

__“I will not help you hurt Coulson,” Clint growled. “There is nothing that you can do that would make me harm him.”_ _

__“Ah, I love a challenge,” the man said. “Don’t worry. You really don’t have to do anything.”_ _

__With that said, the man left while whistling to himself. His orderlies leered at Clint for a moment before they left as well._ _

__XXX_ _

__The Avengers assembled half a mile away from the hospital. All of their surveillance said that it was abandoned. Ironman flew over it but saw no one. Finally the heroes and agents swarmed the building. It was empty of all people and almost all equipment. There were papers and trash strewn about like they had packed and left in a hurry. The only patient left was the man cuffed to the bed on the third floor._ _

__“Clint!” Coulson cried out as he ran to his lover. He grabbed him and hugged him tight. “You have to stop disappearing on me!”_ _

__Clint sobbed out in relief. “Phil! I missed your voice!”_ _

__Phil looked at the man in shock, “You got your hearing back!”_ _

__“Yes, they gave me new ears. I have no idea what exactly they did. Now can you free me so that I can hold you properly?”_ _

__It took a very short time for Coulson to remove the handcuffs from his lover's wrists and ankles._ _

__“I don’t know if you should be here!” Clint suddenly yelled. “I was told that I was going to hurt you. I don’t know what they did to me.” The hero sobbed. This just made Phil hold him tighter. They hugged each other tightly for a long time. Eventually they heard an embarrassed cough behind them._ _

__“Agent,” Rogers said. “We need to get Clint to medical.”_ _

__Clint insisted that he could walk. He was still a bit doped on pain killers from the surgery but was able to walk in a straight line. The space around his new ears was aching slightly but he was able to push the pain aside._ _

__Medical checked him over but had no idea what they had done to his ears. The very fact that he could hear amazed them. No one had any idea what technology was used on him but Tony and Bruce couldn’t wait to get him to their labs._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seemed to like exclamation points this chapter. I'm going to chalk that up to my head cold.


	14. ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets a close look at Clint's new ears.

Clint sat in a padded chair with a cage-like device over his head. The lab’s lights were only half lit so that the men could focus on the computer screens around them. Phil, Steve and Natasha were on the other side of the room talking quietly over cups of coffee. Tony and Bruce were chatting excitedly to themselves while they pointed at the screen. Finally Tony jumped back upset.

“You’re emitting,” he accused Clint.

“Sorry?” the archer replied.

“You're emitting. There is a definite wavelength being transmitted from each ear. It isn’t sending any specific information, possibly it's just your position. It also looks like you are set to receive as well.” Tony’s eyes narrowed as he took a closer look at the display. 

“Well, fuck.” Clint reached up and started to pull at his ears.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bruce asked him.

“Getting rid of these.”

“You can’t just pull them out. They are interlaced with your actual brain.” Bruce put his hands on Clint’s to try to get him to stop. Finally the agent allowed his hands to be lowered.

“Well that’s part of the mystery solved.” Clint said.

“We’ll figure out the rest.” Tony said as he came up to Clint with a wire. Before he could connect it to the ear the man jumped.

“Woah,” Clint said. “You hearing that?”

“What?” the others all asked at the same time.

“Sounds like one of those old fax machi...” Clint’s eyes went wide. His hands shot up to his ears and he started to scream. .

The sound was getting louder. It was just like at the mansion but this time there was no order to make it go away. Phil was by his side holding onto his arms. He was saying something but Clint couldn’t hear anything over the ringing. Suddenly the ringing stopped.

“That was just a warning,” Clint heard a soft woman's voice say. “The only way to keep it from happening again is to make Agent Coulson scream instead. When his voice screams out in real pain the ringing will stop.”

The others were talking to him but Clint was focusing on what the woman was saying. He closed his eyes and yelled, “Fuck you!”

The ringing started up again. This time it was getting louder at an accelerated pace. Clint pulled and tugged at his ears but they would not come out. He jumped up and pushed Tony to the side. He grabbed a set of screwdrivers and started to try to dig his ears out of his head. Steve grabbed him and pinned his arms to his side. Clint screamed in pain. The ringing stopped getting louder but each side of his head hurt. If felt like the inside of his brain was being electrocuted. 

Coulson was looking at him. Clint couldn’t do it. He couldn't hurt him. The pain was too much. Without even thinking of it Clint dropped and twisted. Steve let him go at the unexpected movement. Clint dove for Phil, knocking him down. He still had one of the screwdrivers in his hand. He held it up to punch down into Phil’s body. Clint shook from the force of just holding himself still. He wanted to make Phil scream. It would make the pain end. 

Natasha punched Clint hard in the back of his head. Clint fell onto his lover, knocked out but still in pain. 

XXX

Dr. Haday had seen a lot of interesting brain injuries during his time with SHIELD. This was not the first time he had seen someone try to integrate technology with their system. Even the fact that it was the ears wasn’t new. This was the first time that he needed an electrical genius to scrub in to handle the tech. Usually his job was just to remove it. Occasionally he was tasked with cleaning up the site and keeping the tech from infecting the user. Removal was not an option here.

The surgeon was talking with Mr. Stark and the rest of his team about their plan of attack. “There is no clear cut area where the brain stops and the implant begins. Our job is not to take it out completely but to remove the parts that are not directly related to hearing.”

“Just get me in there,” Stark said as he fiddled with a hand held computer. 

XXX

The surgery took hours. Every microchip, and there were many, needed to be scanned and checked by JARVIS. Tony took out over half of each ear implant out. There were wires throughout Clint’s brain. They removed the ones that pulled out easily but left a few in. Those wires were entwined around certain lobes and the surgeon knew that the foreign object would do more damage being taken out than left in. Luckily they were able to be detached from the microcomputers that were left inside of Clint’s skull.

Tony was positive that they had managed to remove all of the malware but he could not say exactly if Clint would still be able to hear. The parts that were left were the equivalent of a large hearing aid on each side and for all intensive purposes it should work. There was extra room. Tony had asked, begged profusely, to add a few things to improve Clint but Coulson shot him down time and again. He itched to add a port to be able to download what Clint hears. Oh, Well.

“Time to close her up, Doc,” Tony announced as he started to collect his things and leave the operating room. There was a fairly large group of friends outside who needed an update on Clint’s condition.


	15. A happy ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> About time something good happened to Clint

When Clint woke up he opened his eyes to see Coulson sitting by his bed. Phil looked up at Clint expectantly before he said, “Hello there.”

Clint's eyes opened into a wide smile. “Hello back.”

The two fell into fits of laughter as they hugged and smiled at each other. The relief washed over them as they realized that he could still hear. 

“How I love to hear your voice,” Clint told Phil. 

“Then I hope you enjoy what I have to tell you next,” Phil said suddenly very unsure about himself. “During all of the fuss we failed to tell you...”

“Tell me what?” Clint could feel the worry and anxiety roll off of the other man.

“The President signed a pardon on your behalf. You are free.” Phil didn't look Clint in the eyes.

“I’m.... what?”

“Free.” Clint heard his former owner say.

“That’s wonderful!” Clint exclaimed as he pulled Phil into a hug. He held on for a while until he realized that Phil wasn’t returning the embrace. “What’s wrong?”

“Um, Stark says that you can have a whole floor if you want it. Now that you don’t have to live with me all of the time.” Phil looked at Clint wantingly.

“I...” Clint moved back to get a really good look at Phil. “I never had to live with you. Tony already gave me a floor, I’ve just never used it until your brother needed a place. What is going on?”

“I just don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me if don’t want,” Phil’s eyes watered a bit as his forehead wrinkled.

“Why won’t I? Phil, you are my life! The day you purchased me was one of the happiest days of my life. I have no reason to leave now.” Clint heart glowed as he saw the relief spread throughout his lover’s face. They leaned into a chaste kiss that soon turned messy.

Phil pulled back when he needed a breath. “I love you,” he said.

Clint’s smile reached across his entire face. “There is only one thing that would make today the most perfect day of my life.”

“Oh?”

Clint looked into his love’s eyes, “Phil, will you marry me?” 

Phil pulled back in surprise. “Oh course! Yes!” he yelled as he dove into Clint’s arms.

After a few minutes of hugging Phil pulled back, “Now I need you to do me a favor?”

“What? Anything,” Clint said suppressing a yawn.

“Ask me again when you are off the good drugs,” Phil chuckled as his lover... fiance fell asleep.

XXX

Hello Readers. Welcome back to celebrity blogs. This last week I was invited to attend the wedding of the one and only Hawkeye. Yes, Clint Barton tied the knot a few days ago at the illustrious Stark Tower now referred to by many adoring fans as Avengers Tower.

The ballroom was bedecked with purple and white flowers. Matching silk curtains adorned the alcoves and windows. Clint wore a stunning white tux created by Armani. His groom, Phillip Coulson, wore a black tuxedo created by Hugo Boss. Natasha Romanoff looked radiant in her purple gown created by Alexander McQueen as the maid of honor. Nickolus Fury was a stunning best man in his suit also created by Hugo Boss. The singer was a Gothic beauty named Abby Sciuto whose voice amazed us that she was not a professional vocalist. A young man by the name of Zack Addy was on the piano and played with extreme concentration.

The vows were written by the grooms and spoken from the heart. While they both spoke of love, loyalty and respect, Clint thanked his lover for the various chances he was given over the years and Phil spoke of Clint's devotion. Not a dry tear was left in the building. They smiled as they exchanged their rings which were provided by Tony Stark himself. Rumor has it that the rings are made of vibranium but that has yet to be substantiated. 

The dinner was catered by the Stark Restaurant located on the second level of the tower. We dined on Harissa baked salmon and prime rib. The champagne was flowing and there were plenty of wine or beer choices depending on your personal taste.

The cake was as amazing as you would expect for one of earth’s mightiest heroes. It contained five layers. The base color was purple with white flowers circling each tier. The topper consisted of two purple arrows landing in a white heart. When the grooms went to cut the cake they chose to be civil and ignore the hoots and hollering to smash the cake. I did later witness the newly married Hawkeye sneak up on both Tony Stark and Bruce Banner and smash cake into their faces before he disappeared into the crowd. 

After the meal, a cleaned up Tony Stark set up the music himself. The new couple slow danced to Amazed by Lonestar. Then Phil Coulson-Barton danced with his mother while Clint Coulson-Barton danced with Natasha Romanoff. The music then sped up and everyone jumped onto the dance floor to shake, twist, shout and slide. 

Now what you readers are probably wondering is where the afterparty went. It turns out that the new couple are traditionalists. Instead of having an afterparty they chose to leave early sending kisses and love to all of those attending. Those that stayed partied for another three hours before the last guest left. 

The location of the honeymoon was kept secret but the inside scoop is that they are going to a private island for a week with no electricity or cell phone service. From what I hear, that is their ideal set up. This girl just hopes that they are willing to leak photos later.

As normal, thank you for reading and please check out next month's People magazine where you will be able to see pictures and interviews from the wedding itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have loved writing this but this is the last chapter for this series. The Avengers go on to continue to do avenging stuff. Phil stays with SHIELD until he retires. Clint passes his bow to the new generation in about ten years. And the rest just live a happy life.


End file.
